I work in a nursery here ratios are 1 to 4 for 2 -3 year olds and 1 to 8 for 3 to 5 year olds. The EYFS dictates that there are 7 areas of learning - the old EYFS was 6, and Ofsted like learning through play but you must at all times provide opportunities for mark making - which leads to drawing and/or writing, looking at books, and water play.
The 2 year olds in my nursery have a routine but it is free flow play throughout that routine as the little side of the nursery is about building positive relationships with other children and with adults. The 3 -5 year olds have more structure in order to prepare them for school.
The Little Side routine is children arrive from 8am., free play. 8.30 am breakfast and free play. 9.30ish tidy up, and into the garden to play for half an hour in cold weather or upto an hour in warmer weather although children can choose to play indoors if they prefer. 10:30: Snack time. After snack the children play and do craft activities - they are free to choose what to play with from a range of activities set out on tables and when they do the daily craft activity. At this time any children in nappies have their nappy changed although if they poo they are changed as and when they need changing. Children who are toilet trained are free to use the toilet whenever they need to! Free play continues until 12pm when the children tidy up and then do singing. Children who go home at the end of the morning session are collected by parents around 12.30 children who stay for lunch begin eating at 12.15, their lunches are set out for them by staff.
The big side routine is arrive from 8am, breakfast around 8.30- children serve themselves, free play until 10ish,then free flow play for 30 minutes both inside and outside. At 10.30 the children have an assembly - they learn the day of the week, talk about the weather, learn the sound they are learning that week, and have a story and sing a song. At 11.00 A.M. the go into their small groups and have a snack practising manners, sharing news and giving out cups plates, fruit etc. This is followed by a structured activity until 12.15 when the children sit in a circle for the whole group singing time. At 12.30 the children eat their lunch if staying for the whole day/lunchtime session, children who only attend the morning session go home, and any children who attend the lunch and P.M. session arrive.
The afternoon session goes - 1pm all children into the garden to play - time in the garden varies according to the weather and how happy the children are. 1.30 p.m. children who go home from the am+lunch session are collected and children who attend the pm session arrive. Staff discuss children whilst supervising garden play and attending to parents dropping/collecting children, this ensures the best possible care for each individual child. From 1.30 until either 2pm or 3pm the children play outside and all help to put away garden toys when required. When children go indoors they are then settled for a story, whilst another staff member sets out afternoon toys and activities. There is then free flow play until 4pm during this time the older children are taken into another room to do a structured activity, and the younger children play. At 4pm everyone tidies up and then at 4.15 there is whole group singing followed by tea at 4.30. After tea there is more free play, stories, and collection by parents. Children can be collected by parents at any time during the afternoon up until 6pm when we close!
This may sound a lot to expect of children but it creates a calm atmospehere which improves children's behaviour. I worked previously in an unstructured nursery and it was choas - no set activities, no stimulation, no school preparation at all. The older children were bored and their behaviour was awful, in the end the nursery had less and less children as parents did not want that nursery and it was forced to close. On the other hand to much structure and overstimulation is equally bad for children - children need a balance of play and structured activities within a routine!
Nursery staff in Britain have to care for the children, plan weekly and daily activities, keep the children's learning journeys upto date, plan for the child's next steps of learning, comply with nursery policies, clean the nursery, deal with ill children, comply with Ofsted regulations, observe children, reassure children, reassure parents, work as a team, communicate with parents, do developmental checks just before a 3rd birthday, prepare healthy snacks, inform parents about funding, deal with minor injuries and fill in accident forms, help children with toileting, change nappies, change wet and/or soiled clothing, set out and clear away activities, and keep information updated on a child's well being! all this for the minimum hourly wage! To be honest upto 8 children is enough when you have to do all this and more children per adult means less time and attention for you and your child.
